A staircase leading down into darkness. 
PART 2
Noah stood in the courtyard, unable to move.
The rain had stopped, but water was still dripping from the shed roof. The whole place smelled of damp wood, mud, and something old that had been locked away for too long.
Margaret began to tremble.
“No,” she murmured. “Please, no…”
Daniel put his arms around him, but he even seemed to collapse.
Two police officers got out first.
Then Detective Claire Bennett followed them, a flashlight in her hand.
The hatch remained open.
Noah fixed the black ladder, and for a horrible moment he felt like a seven-year-old boy.
Expecting.
To listen.
I hope someone says it was all a mistake.
A minute passed.
Then two.
Then three.
Nobody was speaking.
Even the neighbors behind the fence remained silent.
Finally, Detective Bennett’s voice rose from below.
Low.
Tremblant.
Don’t let the family go here.
